As The Masked Singer enters Season 6, viewers can look forward to a fresh batch of contestants singing (or trying to sing) their hearts out for a chance at the Golden Mask. While the contestants are slowly being revealed, there are some new things in store for viewers. One addition presents an unprecedented opportunity to the judges, but this gameplay change may not come in too handy for everyone’s favorite clueless judge: Ken Jeong.
This new feature – the Take It Off buzzer – will make for an interesting twist for The Masked Singer Season 6. EW reports that this button will only be activated by one of the panelists when they believe they’ve positively identified a contestant. It can only be used once during the Group A performances and again during Group B’s portion. This feature will be tied to who receives the treasured Golden Ear at the end of the season.
Concerning the Golden Ear, each of the celebrities on the judges' panel – comprised of Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy – will get the chance to earn two points toward the prize. If the judge guesses correctly, the contestant must immediately unmask themself and leave the competition. But if the judge is incorrect, they will lose two points toward the Golden Ear. At the same time, the contestant will remain masked and continue moving forward in the singing competition. So, The Masked Singer’s panel is bound to be more chaotic than usual.
While the new option sounds interesting, I feel the judges might lose more points than gain. The only surefire guesser who might get a chance at the prize is two-time Golden Ear winner Jenny McCarthy. Even with two wins, McCarthy was a bit haphazard in Season 5. Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke tend to be on the ball from time to time despite having plenty of wrong guesses. But resident madcap judge Ken Jeong may never come close to the prize. His off-kilter guesses (i.e., Bjork and Jamie Foxx) provide a sense of fun and annoyance, but that doesn’t translate into becoming a Golden Ear winner. Still, he may surprise the viewers this season.
The show was all about shaking things up for Season 6, according to Masked Singer producer Craig Plestis. The show wanted to put the judges on their toes. The Masked Singer producer said about implementing the new Take It Off buzzer:
The whole idea to introduce this is just to add spontaneity. Our panel keeps saying, 'I know who it is!' But we wanted to put them to the test.
If spontaneity is what producers wanted, the Take It Off buzzer is bound to provide some interesting moments for The Masked Singer. In fact, between The Masked Singer and Fox's newest (and weirdest) singing competition Alter Ego, Wednesday nights on the network should be pretty interesting all around. Viewers will have to wait until Season 6 premieres on Sep. 22 and 23 at 8 pm on Fox to see how the new buzzer will change the game.
